Prime Minister Narendra Modi on December 6 accused the Congress of linking the Ram temple issue with the Lok Sabha elections and attacked its leader Kapil Sibal’s arguments in the Supreme Court for deferring hearing the matter till after the 2019 polls.

“Yesterday in the Supreme Court, a Congress MP, Kapil Sibal, was arguing [which is his right] for the Babri Masjid. He is entitled to do that, but is it right for him to say postpone hearing till 2019?” Modi said at a rally in Gujarat’s Dhandhuka, reports IANS.

“Why does he have to link a Ram mandir with elections. Is such thinking proper?” he said. “Now Congress links Ram mandir with elections. They are least bothered about the nation.”

Modi’s remarks came a day after Sibal, representing the Sunni Waqf Board, urged the Supreme Court to defer hearing in the Ayodhya title suit till July 2019 when the next Lok Sabha elections will be over.

However, the demand was brushed aside by the court as it fixed February 8, 2018 for commencing the final hearing in the case.

The Congress has distanced itself from Sibal’s stand, saying it does not represent the party’s stand.